Since we have a thread talking about overcoming the fear I thought I'd bring this up since I've had a few beers and I'm in a really good mood.
One of the things I see, and hear, on the slopes is people getting frustrated. More often beginners just learning but this can carry over into all aspects of riding. Being positive makes everything easier. Getting mad at yourself for a slam, dumb mistake, or something doesn't help. Laughing it off is a huge benefit when you're learning, and if it's a painful slam it can lessen the pain a bit too. I've also noticed that half the people that are learning turns or small jumps and wreck almost always seem to look up to the lift. For those riders reading this, don't worry about crashing or people seeing you crash, it's nothing new to the rest of us. Yeah maybe we are watching you on our way up, but we won't remember it 10 minutes later. You don't look stupid, you're just learning. Anyways, instead of the "damnit!" attitude, laugh at yourself. When you're mad you're not thinking clearly, you're not relaxed and you're making things way harder on yourself.
There's nothing better to me than a day of cruising around hitting whatever, having fun with some friends or listening to some tunes. In my experience that's when I learn new things, that's when I'm more apt to try new stuff. It's a bummer to see someone trying something new, something that they are clearly working hard for and getting mad about it, because at that point its likely to be over with, not today.
Anyways I know this sounds a bit mundane, but it's something that helped me years and years ago and I hope it helps others. Snowboarding is a mental game as well as physical. Set goals, not expectations and things will go a lot smoother.
Beer post count +1
One of the things I see, and hear, on the slopes is people getting frustrated. More often beginners just learning but this can carry over into all aspects of riding. Being positive makes everything easier. Getting mad at yourself for a slam, dumb mistake, or something doesn't help. Laughing it off is a huge benefit when you're learning, and if it's a painful slam it can lessen the pain a bit too. I've also noticed that half the people that are learning turns or small jumps and wreck almost always seem to look up to the lift. For those riders reading this, don't worry about crashing or people seeing you crash, it's nothing new to the rest of us. Yeah maybe we are watching you on our way up, but we won't remember it 10 minutes later. You don't look stupid, you're just learning. Anyways, instead of the "damnit!" attitude, laugh at yourself. When you're mad you're not thinking clearly, you're not relaxed and you're making things way harder on yourself.
There's nothing better to me than a day of cruising around hitting whatever, having fun with some friends or listening to some tunes. In my experience that's when I learn new things, that's when I'm more apt to try new stuff. It's a bummer to see someone trying something new, something that they are clearly working hard for and getting mad about it, because at that point its likely to be over with, not today.
Anyways I know this sounds a bit mundane, but it's something that helped me years and years ago and I hope it helps others. Snowboarding is a mental game as well as physical. Set goals, not expectations and things will go a lot smoother.
Beer post count +1